Hanging By a Thread
by fanficfanatic940
Summary: After the defeat of MaloMyotismon, the 01 and 02 digidestined are stuck in the digiworld, and have to battle an old enemy. Along the way, Tai gets manipulated/brainwashed, Sora gets kidnapped, and TK is poisoned. *TAIORA, TAKARI*
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, unfortunately.

A/N: This is in Season two about three days after the defeat of MaloMyotismon. Unfortunately, I was unable to witness the episode, so you won't hear much about it. Also, this chapter just explains what everybody's doing when, well, I can't give you the rest of the story yet, can I? Well, enjoy!

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"Now, class, repeat after me. A-squared plus B-squared equals C-squared." Mr. Iwochi said.

"A-squared plus B-squared equals C-squared," the class said in unison.

"Now, with that formula, Mr. Motomiya, can you tell us what the hypotenuse of this triangle is?"

Daisuke snapped to attention. "Wha- what was the question?"

"Davis," Mr. Iwochi began, "you have to pay attention. Math class isn't nap class. Your grades have dropped since this whole digimon thing. You need to put in at least some effort into your schoolwork. I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to assign you…" _Here it comes_, Davis thought. "Detention." Davis dropped his head onto his desk. He glanced over the isle and saw TK whispering something in Kari's ear. Davis watched on with jealousy in his eyes.

"Mr. Motomiya! What did I just say?? No distractions! Go stand out in the hallway, now!"

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Taichi Kamiya sat watching the clock while Mrs. James droned on. Geography class always seemed to last an eternity. Sora sat with her head in her hands. Sixth period appeared to have the same effect on her. Silently Tai counted down the minutes to the end of school. After a while, those minutes turned into seconds. _Five, four, three, two, one…_

As the bell rang, every stood up. Mrs. James practically shouted over the noise of shuffling feet. "Homework tonight is chapter 14 parts one and two. Also, don't forget about that report that's due tomorrow!" Almost nobody listened. They were out the door by the time the teacher finished her first sentence.

Tai sped up to catch up with Sora. Luckily, she stopped to get something out of her locker. Tai quickly caught up.

"Oh, hi, Sora."

"Hey, Tai."

"I… was just wondering… if… you were doing something this weekend."

Sora put her books into her tidy locker. _Mine never looks that clean_, Tai thought. Sora turned around and replied, "No, actually, I'm not."

"Well, uh, do… you want to, you know, go… to the movies or something?" Sora smiled.

"Why not?"

"Okay. I'll call you later." As soon as Tai was sure he was out of sight, he grinned. _Wow, that was easier than I thought!_ Unbeknownst to him, though, Matt had heard the whole thing from a distance. He watched Tai walk away and swore under his breath.

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Iori Hida, after a long day of school, approached his house. He wasn't feeling well, so as soon as he entered his room, he plopped down on his bed.

Soon he heard a slight knock on the door. "Cody, its time for Kendo practice."

Cody buried his head under his pillow. "Grandfather, I'm not really in the mood." He heard his grandfather open the door and come in. He never shut his grandpa out, so he didn't care when the man sat on his bed. "Cody, what's wrong?"

"I just… don't feel well."

"Well, I know how to help!"

"Really? How?"

"Prune juice."

"Grandfather…" Cody picked up his Kendo stick and stood.

****

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Jyou Kido bit his eraser. He was on the last question, but it always seemed the hardest. He looked at the clock. Only twenty seconds left! Joe looked at the test. He jotted down the answer right when the teacher called "time". This was it, school was over for the week. He planned to go to Odaiba and visit some of his old friends.

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Ken Ichijouji slowly reached for the phone. He grabbed it and picked it up. His hand trembled so violently he thought it would drop. But he gathered up his courage and dialed the number. It rang three times before someone picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Um, may I… speak with Yolie?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Ken Ichijouji."

"Aren't you that genius kid who disappeared a few weeks ago?"

"Eeeeeeeeee-yeah."

"Hold on." After a brief silence, the phone was being moved around again.

"Hello? Ken?"

"Hi, Yolei. I was, you know, wondering if…… youwannagooutwithmetomorrowafterschool." Ken slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Wow, Ken, uh, what time?"

"After school, I guess."

"Okay. Where?"

"I dunno, the movie theater, I guess."

"Sure. Bye."

"Goodbye…" Ken hung up the phone and wiped sweat off of his forehead.

****

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"So, you got a date with Sora, huh?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Tai struggled with his backpack. It seemed to get heavier every day.

"Man, I'll never get a date." Izzy sweatdropped.

"Don't worry. You'll get one sooner or later." Tai patted his old friend on the back lovingly. Izzy laughed softly.

****

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A/N: well that's just the beginning. It gets better, trust me. Peace.


	2. Father Time

Disclaimer: I still don't own digimon. If I did, I would be able to put this fic on the actual show J .

A/N: so this is when stuff starts happening. I hope you like it.

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Mimi Tachikawa rummaged through some clothes. She pulled out a ridiculous outfit and pretended to wear it. Michael put his hand over his mouth to keep from exploding in laughter. Mimi joined in as she put the skirt back on the rack. 

"May I help you two?"

Mimi and Michael turned to see a lady with a K-Mart employee outfit on. She seemed as if she had never smiled in her lifetime. Mimi forced a grin.

"Uh, no… we were, uh, just leaving…"

"We were?" Michael whispered. Mimi kicked his leg and beckoned him to follow her to the doors. Michael followed.

"They're never going to let us back in there," Mimi stated.

"Hey, they might," Michael formed a sarcastic grin. Mimi looked at him and started to giggle. Michael joined in, and soon they were laughing on the side of a busy New York street. Michael wiped a tear from his eye. When he looked back, though, Mimi was no where to be found.

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Davis sat in detention with his head on his desk. Mr. Iwochi sat, watching him. He put his ruler down.

"Okay, Davis. Time's up! You can go now!"

Davis sat up. He grabbed his lightweight backpack and walked to the door. Mr. Iwochi stopped him.

"Davis," he said, "pay attention in class and don't blow off your homework and then "hang with your buds". Davis nodded quietly. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Once in the halls, Davis leaned against his locker. Suddenly, the wall in front of him flickered. It flickered several more times before Davis could figure out what he was seeing when he wasn't staring at the wall. He could see in the distance the oilrig in which Cody had received the Digi-Egg of Reliability.

The Digiworld! However, there seemed to be a change to the surroundings since last time he was there. Around the shore there was heavy forestation. The lush green plants looked like they were going to extend their vines and whip him. The changes in surroundings grew more frequent, before Davis was entirely in the Digital World

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As Ken left the kitchen, he smiled. He had finally done it; he had asked Yolie out. But before he could give himself a pat on the back, he realized he felt kinda weird. It wasn't love; it was more of a… nauseous feeling. The wall in front of him started to change. [A/N: I won't describe this part, because it was the exact thing that happened to Davis]

Ken looked around. He was in the midst of some kind of jungle. He started walking slowly forward, but he tripped over something and heard a scream.

"Watch where you're going, jerk!" Mimi wailed. But when she saw Ken's face, she smiled apologetically. Suddenly, they heard something crashing through the brush. A face popped out of a nearby bush.

Ken looked closer. "Davis?"

"Oh, hi."

"Why didn't you walk home with me yesterday?"

"I…uh…had detention with Mr. Iwochi. By the way, I found a few friends."

Wormmon, Veemon, and Palmon jumped out of the bushed. But Mimi was surprised to see Agumon, Tentomon, and Gabumon. But then she saw their human partners follow.

Tai looked down. "You two… okay?"

Ken stood up. "Yeah, just took a nasty fall. Say, what are we doing here?"

Matt scanned their surroundings. "That's what I wanted to know."

Izzy spoke up. "What really bothers me is that we were pulled right out of the real world. Coupled with the fact that the Digiport's closed for some reason.

"Hey, Izzy? Do you know if we can still contact our world?" Mimi asked.

"Um, yeah. Maybe. I have my lab top right here. Izzy sat on the wet grass. He opened his lab top and tried to get the transmission to work. "Who do you want to call, Mimi? I have a built in videophone."

"Michael. I'll dial." Mimi sat down and began punching numbers. Michael's face showed on the screen. "Michael, we're all stuck in the Digiworld. Could you come help us somehow?"

Mimi knew Michael was talking, just extremely slowly. Izzy bent over for a closer look. Suddenly, the realization hit him.

"Earth and Digiworld time is out of sync."

Davis scratched his head. "And that means…"

"That something pretty damn powerful has been messing with time."

****

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The next chapter will be out shortly. That's when you'll know what happened.


	3. Culprit

Disclaimer: I've been over this twice already.

A/N: now, I'll guarantee you'll find out what happened.

          TK Takaishi sat up and rubbed his head.  He looked around, but saw only thick vegetation in every direction.  He tried to stand, but was met with direct opposition when he realized he had twisted his knee.  He fell back and writhed in pain.

          TK looked up at the tree he had fallen from.  He remembered walking home, then suddenly appearing in the Digital World.  He had appeared in a tree, near the middle.  The tree was too tall for TK to find the center of it, but he knew he had been there.  There was thick moss on the branch he had been standing on, so he slipped, and blacked out when he hit the ground.

Where was Kari, and everybody else?  Surely they were here, too.  His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another walking through the vegetation.

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Kari Kamiya looked around.  No sign of anybody else, besides Gatomon and Patamon.  They seemed to be waiting for her when she returned to the Digiworld.  This forest was too dense to find anyone, so Kari tried a last resort.

"TK!  Tai!  Anybody!"

"Kari!  Don't yell.  He'll hear you." Gatomon hissed.

"Who?"

"If I say his name out loud, he'll probably kill me."

"Yeah…" Patamon looked around.

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Izzy stood up.  "Well, I guess there's no sense staying _here _now, is there?" he asked.

Tai looked around.  "Yeah, whatever sent us back here probably doesn't want us around.  We should leave."

"I second that!" Agumon replied cheerfully.  He knew Tai was right, but he also knew Tai had no idea who had taken the Digital World almost overnight.

"So have we reached a consensus?"

"Yeah!" Matt spoke up.  But a loud snap and the rustle of leaves interrupted him.  An ominous chill ran down his spine as he turned to see who, or what, was in the bushes.  He took a step towards the now-quiet shrubbery.  Then another.  And another.  But as soon and he was within inches of the bush, he was engulfed in a bright yellow light, and that was all he could see.  But almost without realizing it, his yellow vision turned to black.

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"TK!"

"Kari?  Kari!"  They ran up to each other and embraced.  Patamon flew over and landed on his partner's hat.  "Ha ha!  We were afraid we'd never find you!"

"Yeah, and I was afraid I'd be lost forever!" TK laughed.

Any fear TK had dissipated instantly.  What luck!  He didn't know what was going on, or why his was in the Digiworld.  But he didn't care.  At least he had found Kari.  And right now, that was all that mattered.  He never even realized his ankle wasn't causing him pain anymore.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream echoed through the otherwise silent forest.  Kari knew she'd heard the voice before, but she couldn't place her finger on it.  But TK knew the person all too well.

"Matt!  MATT!!"  TK yelled back at his brother.  But the jungle was once again eerily silent.  The ominous echo had already subsided, but TK kept screaming back at Matt.  Suddenly he couldn't stand waiting around anymore.  He blindly sprinted through the underbrush, and didn't see the thorn-covered vine hanging from the tree in front of him.  TK didn't realize he had run right through it until he could feel his own blood running down his face.  But he didn't care.  Something had happened to Matt.  And nothing would stop him from finding his brother.

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"TK!  TK!  Stop!"  Kari was never as fast as the boy she was chasing now, but her voice obviously made him hesitate.  She kept running, although weariness eventually set upon her.  She stopped, catching her breath, but what she saw next made her hold it.  TK turned around, his face red not running, but from hundreds of cuts on his forehead and cheeks.  Kari stood up, and it was then she saw the vine of thorns hanging from the branch.  They were doused with a sticky, dark red liquid.

"Kari…" TK managed in a guttural whisper, "I… I have to find Matt."

Kari walked up to him, with Gatomon and Patamon following.  "TK.  I have a bad feeling about this.  Please stay here for a while.  Besides, you need to clean your face off.  It's a mess."  Kari added with a smile.

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Tai stared at the limp figure of Matt lying sprawled on the grass and leaves.  The bush was rustling again.  He didn't dare approach Matt's motionless body, though, for fear he might meet the same fate.  Plus he was horrified to see a short digimon walked from the shrubbery.

"Oh, my God!" Izzy gasped.  "It's…"

"That's right!" Puppetmon smiled deviously.

Davis cocked his head and looked at the digimon.  "Who's… that?"

"One of the Dark Masters from over four years ago."  Came a voice.  The team turned to see Joe, Sora, Cody, Yolie, and their digimon partners standing behind them.  Joe continued speaking.  "He was able to manipulate us, and he almost destroyed us with his barrage of deadly toys."

He was interrupted with a yell, and rustling in the bushes.  "TK!  Stop!  PLEASE!"  TK came crashing through the bushes, followed by Kari, Patamon, and Gatomon.  Tai was horrified to see TK's face covered in blood.  But that was nothing when he became reminiscent of TK's past conflicts with Puppetmon.  And the fiend obviously also remembered his hatred for the boy, because he pulled his hammer from his back.

"Now the _real_ fun begins!" Puppetmon smiled.

Okay, I'm finally done with that chapter.  Sorry it took so long to write, but I've been swamped.  So remember to stay in school, be good, and practice good hygiene (oh, and review, too!).


	4. Returned From the Dead

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, people would bow down to me and worship the ground I walk on. But sadly, I'm not.

**Note:** Umm… here's the fourth chapter.  Don't complain if it's short.  Please R&R, you know the drill.

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"_Puppetmon?!_" TK yelled in surprise.  Out of all the Digidestined, TK was the most hated by the digimon.  He had been kidnapped, but he easily tricked Puppetmon and was able to run away.  But before he did that, he also brought an end to a few of Puppetmon's devious plots.  It was because of him that the evil digimon realized he had never had any friends, a fact that would eventually bring an end to him at the hands of Matt's digimon, Metalgarurumon.  And now he was back, standing not ten feet away from him.  "But-- I thought… you were…" he gasped.

          Puppetmon grinned evilly.  He raised his hammer in a position that resembled a fighting stance.  "I almost didn't recognize you," he cackled.  "I guess you've grown up a little.  How marvelous."

          TK hardly noticed the fresh blood trickling down his face and soaking his shirt collar.  His hatred and anger of Puppetmon began welling up inside him, and he felt the same way as he did after seeing Devimon in the Dark Whirlpool.  He clenched his fists and narrowed his bloodshot eyes.  "Shut up, Puppetmon," he retorted.  TK could see Matt start to get up off of the leafy ground, but it was clear he was too weak.

          Puppetmon put on a mock sad face.  "You've hurt my feelings, TK!  Now I'm gonna cry.  We're gonna have a helluva time!  Puppet Pummel!"

          "Teke!  Watch out!"  His brother's cry rang through TK's ears.  He instinctively ducked out of the way as a beam of yellow energy whizzed inched above his back, scorching his shirt and burning his skin.  The blood from his face splattered on the grass below him.  TK screamed in agony, his piercing wails echoing in the vast forest.  Patamon immediately flew up to his injured partner.  "TK!  TK!  Are you alright?" he asked.

          "Y-yeah.  It wasn't that bad." TK replied weakly.

          Puppetmon yawned.  "You guys are getting boring.  I'll be back for you later, if the Bane Pollen doesn't get you first."

          "Bane Pollen?" Cody inquired.  "What's that?"

          "The dust here, if too much is inhaled, can kill you instantly," Joe replied.  "And then there's Herb Pollen, which can heal wounds-- not flesh, but things like fractures and sprains, that kind of stuff."  TK wondered if that was what healed his ankle.

          "Let's give it up for Mr. Smart Pants!  Now, I'm late for a fumigation appointment, but just so you won't get any ideas…"  Puppetmon approached TK, ignoring Patamon, who yelled at him but could do nothing to stop him.  Trying to fight a mega digimon, especially one like Puppetmon, would be suicidal.  Besides, the evil digimon's wires were controlling Patamon.  TK watched helplessly as Puppetmon raised his hammer, then smacked him over the head with it (not hard enough to kill him, however).  Everything went black

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When TK awoke, there was a damp cloth over his head, and a blanket draped over him.  He groaned and tried to sit up.  His reward was a blunt pain in his back that caused his to whimper softly.  However, the noise seemed to fall of Kari's ears, because she turned around to see her best friend awake.  As soon as TK's vision stopped swimming completely, is was obvious they were in a clearing, everyone huddled around the campfire.  The blanket covering TK was crudely fashioned out of leaves, because since everyone was pulled into the Digital World quickly, no one was able to get anything ready.

          "Are you alright, TK?" Kari asked.

          The boy rubbed his cranium and grimaced.  "My back's a little sore, and my head hurts like hell, but besides that I'm fine."  TK put a hand to his face and felt several small scratches, and one large tear running from his left eye to the right side of his mouth.  He no longer tasted blood, so he assumed someone had cleaned his face.

          Kari smiled.  "I guess we were pretty lucky Joe was here.  He cleaned you up and treated burns for you and Matt."

          "Hey, Teke.  We're eating over here.  Wanna join us?" Matt called to TK.  He was sitting at the edge of the campfire with what looked like a branch of huckleberries in one hand.  Tai and Izzy were busy picking berries off of the branch.

          "Naw.  I'm not that hungry right now.  Thanks anyway." TK called back to his brother.  He turned his aching head to the side to see his hat, half of it beet-red, drenched in his own blood.

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_three days later_

Nothing unusual was happening around camp.  The team hadn't heard a thing from Puppetmon lately, but was ready for another attack.  They were still camped out in the same clearing.  Tai and Davis soon discovered that Bane dust was flammable, and incinerated any high concentrations of it before it got too close.

          Everyone was worried about TK and Tai.  Both were acting strangely lately.  TK still wouldn't eat, and seemed uncontrollably sick.  And Tai was always off somewhere in the forest, and always seemed unusually calm.

          It was dinnertime at camp, which consisted of an edible, unknown variety of berry, just like every other meal of the past three days.  Kari sat by TK like always, watching Davis try to unnoticeably scoot closer to her.

          "Hey, TK.  Want some?" she held out a handful of red berries, but TK shook his head.  Instead, he motioned Kari closer to him.

          TK spoke in soft, raspy tones next to Kari's ear.  "Kari, promise me you will not tell _anyone_ what I'm about to tell you."

          "I promise." She whispered back.  There was a sincerity in her voice that made TK wonder if Kari should have received Mimi's crest.

          "Okay.  I think-- I think I might have been poisoned."

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Ooh, cliffhanger.


	5. Venom

**Disclaimer:** I never owned digimon, I don't now, and I (probably) never will!

**A/N:** Here's chapter five, posted for you enjoyment.

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"Those vines--" TK managed, "those vines I ran into.  I think… I think they might have been poisonous."

          Kari sat in shocked silence.  She knew that offered a good explanation for what was happening to him, but it was impossible!  How could TK, the boy she had secretly liked for four years, have lethal venom pumping in his veins?

          TK coughed softly.  "Remember, you promised-- not to tell anybody."  Kari only nodded in reply.

Daisuke shook his head.  TS had come up with wild conclusions before, but this one took the cake.  He had overheard the entire conversation.  _What a wacko,_ he thought, as he turned back to the campfire.  The fire cast long shadows on the unconscious bodies lying around it.

          "Oh shit!" he screamed as he stood up, with Veemon at his side.

          Kari must have heard, because Davis could here her shout something herself.  He didn't catch it the first time, but he heard it as the first echo came around.  _Funny,_ he thought.  _I've never heard her cuss before._

          Just then, the fire started to form itself into a humanoid creature.  The heated flames solidified into a digimon that looked like one of those pictures of Egyptian gods.

          Veemon's voice quaked as he spoke.  "He's here.  He's here.  My God, he actually here."

          "What?  Who is that?" Davis asked his partner.

          "It's one of Puppetmon's most powerful servants.  Remon.  He's made of pure fire, and his skin is scalding to the touch."  **[A/N: Remon comes from Re (pronounced "Rah"), the Egyptian god of the sun]**

          Remon looked at the bodies strewn around him and laughed.  "Is that all you've got?  Come on!" his voice was fiery.  As he spoke, waves of heat erupted from his beak mouth.  The digimon looked up to Davis, TK, Kari, Gatomon, Veemon, and Patamon.  "Well, looks like there's more work to be done." He grinned deviously.  Remon raised the rod in his hand.

          "_Egyptian Sun!"  The moon in the sky, partly blocked by trees, soon became a blazing ball of fire and heat, which lit up the forest in a flash of bright light.  Soon, the small sun fell towards them, incinerating the trees in an eruption of flames.  Davis could feel the searing heat smothering him in boiling air.  His final conscious thought was that he hoped it would end quickly._

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"Good work, Remon.  You may go now."  TK opened his eyes slowly.  He could still feel the heat in his face.  Puppetmon was standing there, standing above a kneeling Remon, who quickly disappeared in a flash of vermilion flame.  The surrounding forest was a mess of charred bark and wood.  The grass under TK was still as lush and green as ever, compared to the blackened remnants surrounding it.  Surprisingly, TK's skin and clothes were still the same-- no evidence of any heat of flames.  Kari lay beside him, chest heaving heavily.  Patamon and Gatomon were on the ground close by, in the same condition.  The moon filled the forest with an eerie glow, casting long, mysterious shadows off the charred trees.

          TK was obviously the only one awake.  Everyone else was lying on the ground, unmoving.  Puppetmon was slowly walking towards him, and he tried to remain as limp and humanly possible.  There was no way he could fight off the digimon.  He waited.

          He waited to die.

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          Yamato Ishida groggily opened his eyes.  He had no idea what had happened, but it was clear something had.  The trees around the clearing were charred and splintered, and the grass was brown with death.  He sat up and rubbed his head.  Everybody else was unconscious.  He looked behind him to see Davis, TK, Kari, and their digimon lying in a heap.  He also saw someone walking towards TK.

          Puppetmon.

          As quietly as he could, Matt sat up.  His movement seemed to stir Gabumon.  The digimon sat up.  "Hey, Matt!  What hap-"

          "Shhhh!" Matt whispered in his digimon's ear.  He put a hand on Gabumon's mouth, and pointed towards TK and Puppetmon, the latter now standing over TK's body with his hammer in the air.

          He could barely make out the words, they were so quiet.  "I've been waiting for this moment all my life, you son of a bitch.  _Puppet Pum---"_

          "_Blue Blaster!" The attack was too weak to do anything to Puppetmon, besides catch his attention.  As the digimon turned around, TK kicked Puppetmon's legs out from under him.  "__Dammit!!"  In and instant, Puppetmon disappeared into the woods._

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As the sun rose above the trees, it sent gleaming rays of light over the forest.  The lavender sky became blue as a new day began.  And Taichi Kamiya was nowhere to be found.

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Sorry if the ending is kinda awkward.  The next chapter will also be longer.  Peace.


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